Selene peaked in 2022 and holds 9,240 SSA records, the Greek goddess of the moon wearing her mythology with unusual lightness. At rank 675, it's a name that feels both ancient and contemporary, a trick not every mythological name manages to pull off.
The Moon Goddess
In Greek mythology, Selene was the goddess of the moon, the full moon personified, a Titan who drove her silver chariot across the night sky. The name derives from Greek selēnē, meaning "moon" or "brightness." She's distinct from Artemis, who is associated with the hunt and the crescent moon; Selene is specifically the round, full, luminous presence. That's a beautiful inheritance: a name that means the full light of the moon in its clearest form.
Selene vs. Selena
The comparison with Selena is inevitable and worth addressing directly. Selena is the Spanish form with an enormous American profile, powered by pop star legacy. Selene is the older Greek original — quieter in American usage, more classically positioned, less immediately pop-cultural. The two names occupy different niches: Selene for parents drawn to mythology and classic origins; Selena for parents who want the warmth and familiarity of the Spanish-inflected form. Both are excellent.
Living at Night's Edge
Selene fits naturally into a naming aesthetic that might be called celestial-mythological — alongside Luna, Lyra, and Thalia. These names share a quality of reaching slightly beyond the everyday without tipping into unpronounceable. Selene is three syllables — seh-LEE-nee — with no ambiguity about how it sounds. It's a name that rewards parents who love mythology but want something less saturated than Athena or Phoebe. The celestial-mythological naming register is one of the most coherent aesthetic clusters in contemporary naming, and Selene sits at its center without being overexposed.